TAMPA, Fla. _ The first-glance assessment of Troy Tulowitzki these days takes you back a handful of years, to a time when the Rockies shortstop was a perennial MVP candidate, and Coors Field rocked to the booming bass line of "Tu-lo!" chants.
On Wednesday, at a sunny Steinbrenner Field, Tulowitzki hammered pitches during batting practice, spraying them in every direction. The real attention grabber was the rocket he drilled high off the left-center field scoreboard, impacting with enough velocity to create a perfect, blacked-out square of LED bulbs.
That was the exclusive neighborhood usually reserved for Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, and for Tulowitzki to pay a visit suggests the loud bat still can do damage, despite missing all of last season because of injury, and playing only 66 games the year before. Even watching him at shortstop, it's difficult to pick up any imperfections. The leaner, lighter Tulowitzki is clearly on a mission, trying to defy the natural skepticism that comes with being a recently brittle 34-year-old at a high-impact defensive position.
-copy-dd1f2bf0.jpeg?w=600)
